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Omer Asik's Rodney Dangerfield Thread

The worst part about Lin's struggles this preseason is that no one is talking about how good Asik has been as a starter so far. In 25.5 minutes per game, he's averaging 8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a steal and a block per game (and his 67% free throw numbers are a huge improvement). Phenomenal numbers? No. But he's leading the entire league in rebounds per game and he's proving to be worth the contract he was given.

(Hence the "I get no respect" Rodney Dangerfield reference many of the younger posters might not have understood.)

And while I have not watched every preseason game, I've watched a few and the times Asik has been on the floor, it's remarkable how much of a difference he makes on the defensive end. Against Memphis, I thought he gave Marc Gasol some major issues, and I think that's the kind of impact he can have against the best offensive bigs in the NBA.

The funny thing about Asik's solid preseason play is that during the offseason, everyone talked about how Lin was the steal and Asik was the reach, but the Rockets would be okay this year with Lin at the helm. Yet Asik has proven the better find thus far and will probably have a bigger overall impact on this team with his defense, but people will rip the Rockets and Morey all season long if Lin doesn't perform well.

So, while it's early and it's way too soon to call Asik a steal or Lin a bust, I at least think it's worth noting that Asik has played some damn solid basketball so far and I'm really looking forward to watching him go up against some of the premier bigs in basketball this season.

Both Asik and Terrence Jones are impressing me on the defensive end. Do you remember when we had Scola and Hayes playing Center? Well defense in the middle is not a problem anymore. Asik has been good, just what we all were expecting from him, basically putting up his per-36 last year coming off the bench with Bulls. And he has played at the same level every game.

And you talked about everyone just talking about Lin, and forgeting Asik, but it seems people are forgeting everything. Martin is back, playing at a high level, if he gets the playing time he was getting two seasons ago, with this bad offensive team, I expect him to get 23, 24 points a game. Jones has been amazing and Parsons is continuing to improve. Livingstona and Smith have also played well, I don't who is going to make the roster, but I'd be really happy either way.

People laughed and mocked me when I said it before, but I fully expect this team to be competitive enough to once again miss the playoffs and end up with a 12-14 draft pick again.

Yeah, sorry, but I still think that's a little crazy. This team essentially lost six of its eight best players from last season (Lowry, Dragic, Scola, Lee, Dalembert, Camby) and replaced them with rookies and young guys who haven't come close to reaching their potential yet. Even if Martin plays out of his mind and the young guys are better than expected, this team shouldn't compete for a playoff spot.

Tim Haberstroh's article on ESPN detailed 10 things to watch for in the NBA this season and I was shocked to see this at No. 2:

2. Is Omer Asik a Most Improved Player candidate?

How quickly can a player be perceived as underpaid to overpaid and back to underpaid again? We could find out with Asik this season. The former Chicago Bulls center, who signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Houston Rockets in the offseason, could be a Most Improved Player candidate merely on per-game stats alone. Anchoring the "Bench Mob" of the Bulls' second unit last season, Asik averaged 3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, and the Rockets thought that was worth approximately $8.3 million per season.

The hand-wringing over the contract was almost as prevalent as Asik has been on the boards this preseason. The 26-year-old is leading the NBA in rebounding with 11.5 boards a game, and the remarkable part is that he's managing to pull that off in just 25.5 minutes per game. On a per-36-minute basis, Asik is averaging a whopping 11.3 points and 16.2 rebounds, up from his 7.6-point, 13-rebound pace last season. Yes, it's preseason, but don't discount the value of coach Kevin McHale's work with Asik's raw talent. Throw in Asik's role as a defensive straitjacket and we could be looking at the early favorite to take Ryan Anderson's crown as MIP.

So perhaps I'm not the only person who was impressed with Asik's preseason. I'm glad mainstream media are taking notice, and I agree that Asik is a perfect MIP candidate this season.